I have a 2009 SL550 that I drive approximately 3000 Miles a year. Mercedes say you should change your oil every year. All my oil changes are with Synthetic oil. I don't think it is necessary to changer the oil every year. How do others feel and is there a way of getting rid of the oil change due message?
T

 

I actually agree with the dealer on this one. I'd change the oil every year no matter what. For $150 a year it's cheap insurance, but I can drive safe.
Just to make sure - we're not talking about imminent damage to the engine if you don't change it. But, just like everything else - it piles up. When you hear people driving 400k+ miles without repairing the engine, I can guarantee that they didn't change the oil every 2 years or every 10k miles. For same reason we do all other preventive maintenance on this car - to make sure it lasts without breaking

If for some reason you're going to change the oil in the fall this year, but you did in the spring of the last year, no big deal. But definitely not skipping years for that. The oil gets dirty after 100 miles in the engine. I wouldn't like for that build-up or extra stuff that gets into it to stay inside and lay down at the bottom.

P.S.
Yes, you can reset the oil change message. It's not a sensor, it's more of a meter.

Regards

 

Oil in a sealed bottle on the shelf can last for years and year. Oil in the engine will turn acidic over time, hence the one year interval.

 

You can reset the message yourself via the instrument cluster, whether you replace the oil or not. I'd agree with the above statements to change it anyway, as it's actually harder on the engine to not be run enough, than more often. Oil is cheap compared to repairing mechanical damage due to lack of lubrication or internal corrosion.